Stained
Kaoru walked as fast as her weakened legs could. She had been missing all night and desperately needed to get home to be near Kenshin. 'I've got to move faster! Damn these injuries!' She finally reached the dojo and entered as quietly as she could, but Kenshin saw her anyway.
"Kaoru, where were you? We were all so worried, even little Ayame and Suzume were looking for you. Are you all right?" then he embraced her tightly. As he did so she whimpered a little, which was heard by Kenshin. He released her and looked at her bowed head. "Kaoru?" she looked up at him and his eyes widened. "Kaoru, what happened to you??" Kaoru had a black eye, fat lip, a bruise on her cheek and a gash from chin to ear on the other cheek.
"N-nothing, I'm fine, really." She replied shyly.
"You're not a good liar Kaoru, what happened. Tell me, please." He almost pleaded to her. He saw the tears well up in her eyes.
"I'm going to go get some sleep, okay? I really need some sleep."
"Alright, would you like me to stay with you?"
"No, that's alright, Arigato for the offer, Kenshin but I really need to be alone right now." With that she turned around and walked back to her room.
About an hour after she fell asleep, Kaoru began screaming in her dreams. "NO! PLEASE DON'T! NO LEAVE ME ALONE! PLEASE! OH GODS SOMEONE HELP ME! AHHHHHH!"
Kenshin ran to her immediately. "KAORU! Kaoru wake up! Please wake up!"
She jolted awake, tears streaming down her face. Kenshin soothingly rubbed her back, whispering softly into her ear. "Kaoru, it's alright, Shhh, it's okay…"
"No Kenshin, please, just leave me alone."
"Kaoru tell me, please, what is troubling you so?"
"I can't tell you, okay?! I just can't!" tears fell faster down her cheeks.
"Alright Kaoru, I'll go get Megumi-dono to check your wounds. We'll return shortly." He said with a pained look on his face and the same amount of pain in his voice.
He returned with Megumi as he said and she found Kaoru lying on her futon crying. "Kaoru? What's wrong?"
"Megumi?"
"Yes, it's me, what's wrong? Why won't you let Kenshin anywhere near you?"
"Because I can't tell him what happened, I just can't….. I don't know what he'll do or if I can even be around a man ever again!"
"Kaoru, you're not making any sense, what's going on?"
"Okay, well, uhm, these injuries are because……. I was attacked last night on my way home from my nightly walk. H-he… he r-raped me but didn't have the damn courage to kill me, now I have to live with this for the rest of my life!" she cried into Megumi's shoulder. "Oh Kaoru, it'll be alright. Let me lok you over and I'll take care of it."
"Okay, but please don't tell Kenshin about my being raped, just say I was attacked, I'll tell him when and if I'm ready."
"Deal."
After Megumi finished her examination of Kaoru, she came out of her room to talk to Kenshin. There was something he needed to know about.
"Uhm, Kenshin? I think we need to talk."
"Is Kaoru alright Megumi-dono? What's wrong??"
"She's fine, but she'll be in a lot of pain. I know she'll be avoiding you for a while but bear with her, she's going through a tough time. She needs you around her but not too closely. Okay?
"Yes, what happened to her?"
"She was attacked last night. That's why she didn't come home until today. I want to see her in my clinic in one month, okay?"
"Yes, of course. I'll get her there. Good bye Megumi-dono, and thank you."
"No problem Kenshin, take good care of her."
"I will try."
Kenshin silently walked into Kaoru's room. She was sitting up in her futon, her back facing him and she was brushing her hair staring off into space.
"Kaoru?" he said as he put a hand on her shoulder. She immediately pulled away from him, afraid he'd do what Saito had, even though she knew Kenshin would never do that, he loves her too much.
"Kaoru" I-is there anything I can do for you?"
"No, arigato anyway, I just, uhm, i… I don't know what I need." She put her hands to her face and started crying again. Kenshin wrapped her in a loose hug as to not hit a wound or to upset her anymore than she already was. She must be hiding something from him, but he didn't want to press the issue. 'She'll tell me when she's ready. I just hope that's soon, I want to help her. I love her too much to let her keep hurting.' He thought and just held her until her crying ceased and she fell asleep once again.
One month passed all too quickly. Kaoru started to be more normal around Kenshin and things were almost back to normal between the couple. Megumi had just finished Kaoru's check up and now they where having minor chitchat. Megumi had an odd inkling she needed to prove right or wrong.
"So how have you been Kaoru?" she asked.
"Well, actually I've been feeling a little sick in the mornings and get really tired in the afternoons, but then I'm fine, it's really weird. What's wrong with me?"
"Hmmm…" she eyed Kaoru carefully. "Have you been having odd cravings for different foods?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
"Before I answer you, I have a question. Have you slept with Kenshin?" she raised an eyebrow at Kaoru and her little fox ears appeared on her head. Kaoru's face turned a deep shade of red.
"Not that it's any of your business but no! I still haven't even told him I was raped, and you think I'm gonna sleep with him? Ha!" Megumi's eyes widened and the ears went away.
"Uhm, well then this is going to be a big shock. Kaoru, you're…. You're…… you're pregnant."
"W-WHAT? How can that be?! No! I can't be pregnant! That means Saito's the father! Oh Gods! What will I tell Kenshin? I'm carrying his greatest enemy's child! Nooo! This can't be happening!" she sobbed into Megumi's shoulder once again.
"Shhhhh…. It'll be okay, he won't love you any less, I promise you, he'll be there for you, but we have to tell him the whole story. Don't worry, it'll all be alright, shhh….." said her dear friend and surrogate older sister.
"Are you sure?" asked Kaoru in a small voice.
"Positive."
Kaoru walked as fast as her weakened legs could. She had been missing all night and desperately needed to get home to be near Kenshin. 'I've got to move faster! Damn these injuries!' She finally reached the dojo and entered as quietly as she could, but Kenshin saw her anyway.
"Kaoru, where were you? We were all so worried, even little Ayame and Suzume were looking for you. Are you all right?" then he embraced her tightly. As he did so she whimpered a little, which was heard by Kenshin. He released her and looked at her bowed head. "Kaoru?" she looked up at him and his eyes widened. "Kaoru, what happened to you??" Kaoru had a black eye, fat lip, a bruise on her cheek and a gash from chin to ear on the other cheek.
"N-nothing, I'm fine, really." She replied shyly.
"You're not a good liar Kaoru, what happened. Tell me, please." He almost pleaded to her. He saw the tears well up in her eyes.
"I'm going to go get some sleep, okay? I really need some sleep."
"Alright, would you like me to stay with you?"
"No, that's alright, Arigato for the offer, Kenshin but I really need to be alone right now." With that she turned around and walked back to her room.
About an hour after she fell asleep, Kaoru began screaming in her dreams. "NO! PLEASE DON'T! NO LEAVE ME ALONE! PLEASE! OH GODS SOMEONE HELP ME! AHHHHHH!"
Kenshin ran to her immediately. "KAORU! Kaoru wake up! Please wake up!"
She jolted awake, tears streaming down her face. Kenshin soothingly rubbed her back, whispering softly into her ear. "Kaoru, it's alright, Shhh, it's okay…"
"No Kenshin, please, just leave me alone."
"Kaoru tell me, please, what is troubling you so?"
"I can't tell you, okay?! I just can't!" tears fell faster down her cheeks.
"Alright Kaoru, I'll go get Megumi-dono to check your wounds. We'll return shortly." He said with a pained look on his face and the same amount of pain in his voice.
He returned with Megumi as he said and she found Kaoru lying on her futon crying. "Kaoru? What's wrong?"
"Megumi?"
"Yes, it's me, what's wrong? Why won't you let Kenshin anywhere near you?"
"Because I can't tell him what happened, I just can't….. I don't know what he'll do or if I can even be around a man ever again!"
"Kaoru, you're not making any sense, what's going on?"
"Okay, well, uhm, these injuries are because……. I was attacked last night on my way home from my nightly walk. H-he… he r-raped me but didn't have the damn courage to kill me, now I have to live with this for the rest of my life!" she cried into Megumi's shoulder. "Oh Kaoru, it'll be alright. Let me lok you over and I'll take care of it."
"Okay, but please don't tell Kenshin about my being raped, just say I was attacked, I'll tell him when and if I'm ready."
"Deal."
After Megumi finished her examination of Kaoru, she came out of her room to talk to Kenshin. There was something he needed to know about.
"Uhm, Kenshin? I think we need to talk."
"Is Kaoru alright Megumi-dono? What's wrong??"
"She's fine, but she'll be in a lot of pain. I know she'll be avoiding you for a while but bear with her, she's going through a tough time. She needs you around her but not too closely. Okay?
"Yes, what happened to her?"
"She was attacked last night. That's why she didn't come home until today. I want to see her in my clinic in one month, okay?"
"Yes, of course. I'll get her there. Good bye Megumi-dono, and thank you."
"No problem Kenshin, take good care of her."
"I will try."
Kenshin silently walked into Kaoru's room. She was sitting up in her futon, her back facing him and she was brushing her hair staring off into space.
"Kaoru?" he said as he put a hand on her shoulder. She immediately pulled away from him, afraid he'd do what Saito had, even though she knew Kenshin would never do that, he loves her too much.
"Kaoru" I-is there anything I can do for you?"
"No, arigato anyway, I just, uhm, i… I don't know what I need." She put her hands to her face and started crying again. Kenshin wrapped her in a loose hug as to not hit a wound or to upset her anymore than she already was. She must be hiding something from him, but he didn't want to press the issue. 'She'll tell me when she's ready. I just hope that's soon, I want to help her. I love her too much to let her keep hurting.' He thought and just held her until her crying ceased and she fell asleep once again.
One month passed all too quickly. Kaoru started to be more normal around Kenshin and things were almost back to normal between the couple. Megumi had just finished Kaoru's check up and now they where having minor chitchat. Megumi had an odd inkling she needed to prove right or wrong.
"So how have you been Kaoru?" she asked.
"Well, actually I've been feeling a little sick in the mornings and get really tired in the afternoons, but then I'm fine, it's really weird. What's wrong with me?"
"Hmmm…" she eyed Kaoru carefully. "Have you been having odd cravings for different foods?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
"Before I answer you, I have a question. Have you slept with Kenshin?" she raised an eyebrow at Kaoru and her little fox ears appeared on her head. Kaoru's face turned a deep shade of red.
"Not that it's any of your business but no! I still haven't even told him I was raped, and you think I'm gonna sleep with him? Ha!" Megumi's eyes widened and the ears went away.
"Uhm, well then this is going to be a big shock. Kaoru, you're…. You're…… you're pregnant."
"W-WHAT? How can that be?! No! I can't be pregnant! That means Saito's the father! Oh Gods! What will I tell Kenshin? I'm carrying his greatest enemy's child! Nooo! This can't be happening!" she sobbed into Megumi's shoulder once again.
"Shhhhh…. It'll be okay, he won't love you any less, I promise you, he'll be there for you, but we have to tell him the whole story. Don't worry, it'll all be alright, shhh….." said her dear friend and surrogate older sister.
"Are you sure?" asked Kaoru in a small voice.
"Positive."
